NHTSA Complaint #10621286 — 2014 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHXS

I THOUGHT I WAS FLASHING MY BRAKE LIGHTS TO WARN DRIVERS BEHIND ME THAT I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN..I NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS NOT SLOWING DOWN!! I DECIDED TO NOT MAKE THAT TURN AND KEPT GOING TO PREVENT ME FROM GETTING HIT. PULLED OVER TO CHECK MY BRAKE LIGHTS. I FOUND THAT THEY DO NOT ACTIVATE UNTIL THERE IS SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER. THE BRAKE LIGHTS SHOULD BE ILLUMINATED AS SOON AS THE BRAKE LEVER IS PULLED BEFORE THE BRAKE PADS CONTACT THE ROTOR! WHEN COMING TO A NORMAL STOP, I STOP AND LOOK TO SEE IF MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE LIT UP. MOST ALL OF THE TIME, THEY ARE NOT! I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THIS LOOKED AT. THEY REPLACED THE FRONT BRAKE CYLINDER. THAT DID NOT WORK TO FIX THE BRAKE LIGHT PROBLEM. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO CHECK SOME OF THE SAME MODEL BIKES IN THE SHOWROOM TO SEE IF THEY DID THE SAME THING. THEY ALL DID! WITH THE BRAKE LEVER PULLED, THE FRONT BRAKES MAKING CONTACT AND THE BIKE NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT ON! THEY DO COME ON AFTER YOU APPLY SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE LEVER, THEREFORE YOU HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON SQUEEZING THE LEVER HARDER AFTER YOU ARE ALREADY STOPPED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT YOU ARE STOPPED. THE MANAGER OF THE DEALERSHIP VERIFIED THIS AND IS WORKING WITH ME TO GET THIS RESOLVED. HOWEVER, SINCE THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH MORE THAN JUST MY STREET GLIDE, THIS VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED. *TR